INCREASING the price of alcohol would be the best way to persuade hard-drinking North-Easterners to cut back, according to a survey.

That is one of the main conclusions to be drawn from the North-East Big Drink Debate.

Run over six weeks earlier this year and backed by The Northern Echo, the debate persuaded more than 12,000 North-East men and women to fill in a detailed questionnaire about their drinking.

Organised by North-East alcohol health group Balance, it aimed to find out how much people drink and why, where they buy alcohol and what would persuade them to drink less.

The debate was triggered because of growing concerns at the effect of heavy drinking on health and society in the region.

The findings showed that 87 per cent of adults in the North-East drink alcohol, with heavier drinking at weekends.

Younger drinkers are more likely to consume six or more units of alcohol in one session, with more than a third of 18 to 24-year-olds admitting they would drink ten units of alcohol or more at weekends.

Drinking patterns across the region are similar, although a higher proportion of Sunderland residents drink ten units of alcohol on both weekdays and weekend days.

While seven out of ten North-East drinkers said they consume alcohol to relax and socialise, one in four said they By Barry Nelson Health Editor barry.nelson@nne.co.uk drink to forget concerns.

One in five said they drink in order to get drunk – a view more prevalent in Middlesbrough.

While 78 per cent of drinkers acknowledged that drinking can have a negative effect on their health, only one in five said that was a worry.

When it came to factors that would reduce their consumption of alcohol, those under 35 were more concerned about the cost of drinks.

Those aged 25 to 44 were more concerned about gaining weight by drinking.

One in three North-East drinkers said they had been in a risky situation as a result of drinking too much.

Balance director Colin Shevills said: “People across the North-East are drinking too much. While this comes as no great surprise, it does highlight that if we want to improve the region’s health and reduce alcohol’s negative impact on our streets, we need to reduce the amount we are consuming.”

Balance will now use the information to draw up a strategy to persuade people to reduce their drinking.

■ The Government advises men not to drink more than four units a day and women not more than three units.